1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an apparatus for personal identity authentication.
2. Description of Related Art
To maintain security, the personal identities of users may be authenticated. The personal identity may be authenticated by the input of user information using an IC card which has user information recorded in it, or by the input of a password by the user. Further, there have been many proposals of applying personal identity authentication configuration to image forming apparatuses. For example, an image forming apparatus may authenticate the person using it and switch the operation screen based on the personal identity authentication information (Published Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-13682).
In addition, for example, it is also possible to think of an image forming apparatus in which the personal identity is authenticated, the accumulated jobs are filtered based on that authenticated information, and those filtered jobs are displayed as a list of services to the authenticated person (Published Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-243699).
However, the image forming apparatus having the function of switching the operation screen according to the authentication information did not have the configuration of changing the operation based on the state of the apparatus. For example, it was not possible to display the operation screen corresponding to the state in which the private and confidential print jobs have been accumulated for the authenticated person. The operations were likely to become complicated when executing private and confidential print jobs because it was necessary to execute such jobs after confirming the presence or absence of private and confidential print jobs by switching to the normal operation screen by an operational input.
Further, in the conventional image forming apparatus that displays a list after filtering the accumulated jobs, there was the likelihood of causing inconvenience when wanting to carry out first a different job because a job list screen is displayed immediately after carrying out personal identity authentication.
In addition, while carrying out private and confidential print jobs belonging to the authenticated person, the security protection was likely to become incomplete with the likelihood of the printed material being seen or stolen by a third person if the authenticated person went away from the front of the image forming apparatus.